LaVaughn Henry lecture

In this election year, the economy is going to be one of the hottest topics debated by every candidate.

Fortunately for Rockhurst University students, one of its high-profile alumni was here to make sense of some of the evolving subject and put it in perspective.

Monday night, LaVaughn Henry, Ph.D., ’83, vice president and senior regional officer of the Cincinnati Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, came to speak to a full house in Mabee Theater. His lecture, titled "The Role of Leadership and Ethics in an Evolving Economy", focused on leadership and success in our current economic environment.

“The financial crisis was everyone’s fault,” Henry said. “It was the banks' fault. It was the regulators' fault. It was our policy-making institution’s fault, and it was the individual borrowers' fault. There should be no reason why we should be taking out huge home equity loans to go out for dinner or buy that third or fourth flat-screen TV.”

John Meyer, director of the Helzberg School of Management’s Center for Leadership and Ethics and Sullivan Chair in Ethics, said the success of Monday night’s lecture was easily seen by the number of people from the school and the community who filled Mabee Theater.

He added that the center is always looking for an opportunity to bring successful alumni back to campus to share their life stories and experiences with students.

“It’s a great learning opportunity for our students to hear from Rockhurst,” he said. “Dr. Henry is an outstanding example of the value of a Rockhurst education and what it can mean for your future.”

Henry’s lecture was part of HSOM’s leadership and ethics guest speaker series, and was presented by the school’s Center for Leadership and Ethics and the Sullivan Chair in Ethics.   

On April 17, the center will bring in Jim Keady, founding director of Educating for Justice, Inc., which fights for better pay and working conditions for Nike factory workers.